Vagabond Hearts
by Arkade4D
Summary: A young hero is summoned to restore the Elemental Hearts and save the Kingdoms from Chaos. Very cannon with OCs and lots of cameos!
1. Prelude: A Lucid Dream

Kingdom Hearts FanFiction "Vagabond Hearts" Opening:  
What follows is an original story, written in tribute - not as a claim to ownership - to the greatest game of all time, Kingdom Hearts. I do not own any of the characters who are owned by anyone else, notably those owned by Disney and Square Enix, but also including any other characters I may throw in here as the story progresses.  
I do own Hex, Aurelie, Jinx, and any of my other original characters who find themselves in this story. But particularly Hex, Jinx, and Aurelie. They are, in another incarnation, very integral to a story I have had in development since childhood. Touch them without my permission...ah, there are no words for the abysmal fate that would follow....  
Anyway, welcome to Vagabond Hearts. Cue the theme song: I'm In Over My Head, from the Titan A.E. Soundtrack...  
  
Prelude: A Lucid Dream  
  
Hex wandered in silence through the wasteland. It was a vast sand plain - not a desert, just a featureless sea of light brown, dyed orange by the dull flame of the sun. The sun was high in the sky, stuck at just past noon, but there was no heat. There was no cold, either, however. It was like there was no temperature at all, and perhaps there really was none. There was no wind, but the air was not stagnant. It, too, was simply featureless. Everything around him was, the land, the sky, the air. And it was completely silent. Even Hex's footfalls failed to make any noise at all. The motion of his legs - step, step, step - was all that told him he was moving at all.  
Hex would have considered it all very unnerving, if he didn't know it was a dream.  
Hex had a talent he considered a gift in every way: he was a lucid dreamer. It was an incomplete talent, and he preferred it that way. He knew when he was dreaming, and he could control his own actions or call objects to himself easily. With a bit of effort, he could sometimes alter the immediate area, or invoke some power even greater then the magic he could wield in real life. He could not alter the actions or abilities of others, however, or the greater scene. And, once in a while, he found all these abilities stripped from him - he was left to wander what he knew was a dream without any way to enact his will upon it.  
This was one of those times. But Hex did not panic - this was not a loss of power or strength, it was merely his mind. His mind was taking him somewhere, trying to show him something. For now, he just had to keep walking.  
Knowing that he wouldn't see a thing, but that he needed to give this dream a chance to change, he looked around. He looked to each side, back over his shoulders, and then looked forward again. It worked. Ahead of him, a shadow had appeared. Hex smiled to himself. He couldn't consciously manipulate this dream, but this was still his mind. He was in charge.  
Or was he? Hex's heart began to beat faster. The shadow was getting larger, very rapidly. But it wasn't moving towards him, he was moving towards it. He looked down at his feet, and found the floor had melted away. He had lost control of his dream.  
His breath came rapidly, but he tried to control it. He was rushing towards the shadow, so fast now that he could feel the rush of air. His eyes began to water, a cold chill ran over his body. He was no longer wearing what he had had on before, he couldn't even remember what it had been. He was now wearing nothing but the pants he slept in, like he had been picked up straight out of bed. A horrible revelation crept over him: for the first time in six years, for the first time since he was ten years old, he had lost control. He was lost in a nightmare.  
He couldn't lose himself to the nightmare, he couldn't lose himself to the fear. He focused, his eyes glaring against the rush of wind. The shadow was almost on him. He clenched his fists and steeled himself for impact - just in case.  
And the dark was upon him. For a moment, there was no sensation. And then, a wave passed over him from head to toe, he could feel it, but he didn't feel any different after it passed. A second after it did, he was launched into a flash of light. When he could see again, he found himself flying head long through a hall of mirrors. His clothes fluttered about him - black jeans, a gray shirt marked in electric blue tribal designs, and a dark blue club shirt with similar black tribal markings on it. It had buttons, but he wore it open, and it was baggy, about one size too big. Hex of course couldn't see the back, but he knew what was there: black tribal markings in the form of angelic wings. Some of his armor, his leg protectors and shoulder protectors, were also on. This was him, this was his Clan uniform. This was him having regained some form of control. That was what that wave had been, his mind exerting control where it could, over his own body. But he was still unarmed, his combat gloves and bucklers were not present.  
The hall was coming to an end, and it looked for a moment that Hex might smash head long into the wall of mirrors there. But he could feel himself falling, and knew he would land first. He brought his legs forward just in time, landing with enough force that he had to bring his body forward to the ground and catch himself on his hands. He caught himself on one hand.  
Hex rose, and he could feel the anger burning on his face. Had anyone else been there, they would've seen blue sparks coming from his eyes and back, the latter forming the broken outline of wings. But there was no one else there, of course, and Hex himself had never seen the energy. He didn't even know about it.  
He looked around, trying to get his breath and anger under control. As he did, the sparks faded. He was lost in a nightmare, but he could not lose himself to the fear. He had to fight his way out, as he had that last nightmare when he was ten. He saw now that the hall he had been hurtling down was gone, that he was now surrounded by a circular wall of mirrors. In the one immediately ahead of him, he could see his own reflection. In the rest, shadowy figures of different shapes and sizes, but otherwise featureless, save for two or three that seemed to have wings.  
Having nowhere to go, Hex only stood there for a moment. His breathing now under control, silence settled around him. He was very startled when the voice spoke into his head.  
-Who are you?-  
Hex answered immediately, without fear. He would never admit it, but this wasn't the first time he had heard a voice in his head. "My name is Hex..."  
-I did not ask your name. I asked who you are.-  
"I'm no one."  
-No, you are the Vagabond Hero.-  
Hex's breath caught in his throat. He had been called that by the voices before, when the nightmares had been at their worst. "What is this?"  
-This is the beginning.-  
Hex scoffed. "Right, sorry, sure. Should have guessed."  
-Yes, you should have.-  
"I'll fight my way out, you know."  
-Yes, you will.-  
"I've beaten you before."  
-No, you beat them.-  
Hex raised an eyebrow. "Them?"  
-You will know them in a moment.-  
"Yippee. Look, what is this?"  
-This is the beginning.-  
Hex shook his head. "You're repeating yourself."  
-So are you.-  
"Who are the others in the mirrors?" Hex decided it best to change the subject.  
-They may be your allies.- As the voice spoke, a few of the shadowy shapes lit up, revealing them for what they were. Hex looked around at those that had done so.  
The first mirror to draw his attention showed what could only be described as a rabbit woman. She was very attractive, with short, light brown fur over the whole of her hourglass figure. She had the ears of a rabbit, as well. Her only unattractive feature also seemed very out of place - her fingers were darker then the rest of her, and were nothing short of long, slender claws. She wore a loose red robe and matching cape, a feather hat, and red knee high boots.  
Hex turned to another mirror, and saw a young blue dragon reflected in it. In the next, a gray haired young man, again about Hex's own age. He wore dark clothes with no sleeves, and a twisted headband. His eyes were dark and his hair was gray. He was smirking, like he was up to something, but Hex knew the eyes of someone hiding deep pain when he saw them.  
There were others, as well. Here, a dark skinned, dark haired girl wearing a single piece skirt of animal leather. Here, a skinny scholar wearing strange blue robes and a blue crystal around his neck. But it was the mirrors on either side of the one showing Hex's own reflection that were the most startling.  
The mirror on the right showed a woman of pale skin, with dark blue, wavy hair. She wore a loose, low-cut robe, the same color as her hair and trimmed in silver. In one hand she carried a katana, finely crafted and glowing with magical energy. In the other hand, she held a strange, simple key. It was silver and gold in color, and its were teeth carved to form the outline of a crown. Hex recognized her immediately; she was the woman he had once loved, perhaps still loved. She was his Clan-mate, Crystal.  
The mirror on the left showed another young man, a year or so younger than Hex. This fighter wore combat gloves and an outfit similar to Hex's, replacing blood red for Hex's electric and dark blues. The two were friends and rivals, having trained under the same teacher in the same style of martial arts, and having fallen for the same girl. The young man had dark hair and eyes, a stark contrast to Hex's blond hair and blue eyes. This young man's name was Damon.  
-And they may be your enemies.-  
Hex took a step towards the mirror, but three others appeared in front of him. In one was a sword, ornately crafted. In the next was a shield, decorated in tribal wings. The third showed a pair of gloves, one plain, the other decorated in the same electric blue tribal markings as Hex's shirt and long enough to reach halfway to his elbow.  
-The sword represents strength of the body, the power to destroy. The shield represents strength of spirit, the power to protect. The gloves represent strength of will, the power to change. You must choose one.-  
Hex did not ask any questions. He thought for a moment, and then reached towards the mirror showing the gloves. When his hand should have hit the glass, it instead went into the mirror. When he pulled his hand away, he found the gloves were on his hands, the longer on his right arm.  
-Now, you must discard one.-  
Hex looked from the sword to the shield, and reached toward the sword. When his hand hit the glass, the mirror shattered. As the pieces hit the floor, they disappeared.  
-You would choose the power to shape over the power to destroy, and use it to protect that which is?-  
"...I would."  
-Then step forward.- As the voice spoke, the two remaining mirrors, and the mirror showing his reflection, vanished. Hex was done with speaking, done with wondering. He knew it was now time to meet them, that it was now time to fight.  
-Do not be afraid,- the voice spoke as Hex walked toward the opening. He looked up into the inky blackness above him, but said nothing. He was not afraid.  
A moment after stepping into the darkness, Hex found himself standing on a platform of stained glass. It was an intricate pattern, but it didn't seem to portray anything specific. Situated at equal intervals along the edge of the platform were six large gems of different colors. Each was set on an ornately carved pedestal, and each pedestal seemed to have a different elemental motif. But each of the crystals was dim, like it was hollow and filled with darkness.  
Hex looked at each of the crystals, one after another. As he turned around the platform, shadows formed at the base of each pedestal. When he had turned completely, each of the shadows formed into a small, black gremlin-like creature. Hex didn't know what they were exactly, but they had haunted his nightmares before, and he would have to fight them now.  
-Heartless.- The voice spoke this single word as the creatures leapt at him.  
They moved erratically, but quickly. The first was upon Hex in a flash, but he smacked it aside with his gloved right hand. As he did, a burst of blue energy was released from is hand. The creature, the Heartless, dropped to the ground and melted into a puddle of shadow, which then disappeared.  
The sudden defeat of the first of the Shadows startled the rest, and Hex had a moment to prepare an attack. He waved his hand in an arc in front of him, and three darts of the same blue energy shot from his hand. Three more of the Shadows fell. This left only two, and they attacked together. But Hex was prepared for this, as well, and he kicked one to the ground as he hit the other with another blast. The one he kicked lay stunned, and Hex finished it before it stood again.  
"Is this the best my nightmares can throw at me these days?" Hex laughed. But even as he did so, each of the crystals gave of a burst of their element. Fire and water, earth and air, light and darkness...the bursts converged in the center of the platform above Hex's head. He dove out of the way as they hit each other, and as the blast of light and rush of sound faded, Hex looked up to see that a black and blue dragon had appeared. It was almost demonic in appearance, but strangely beautiful, as well. On its forehead was a strange mark, a sort of black heart outlined in blue, with lines crossing through it and three points at the bottom. Hex didn't really recognize the mark, but it did seem vaguely familiar.  
-Don't just stand there, Hex!- The voice snapped Hex back to attention. -You must fight! You must beat it-  
Hex nodded to himself and prepared for the dragon's charge. It was big, but not much more then twice his own size. It didn't take to the air for some reason, but Hex didn't take this for granted. He met the dragon head on before it could.  
The dragon went to bite Hex, and he barely pulled his arm away from its jaws in time. He hit it in the head with a burst before it could recover from the lunge, and the blow seemed to daze it. It shook its head, and turned to Hex to attack again. This time, it unfurled its wings, but Hex hit it before it could take to the darkness above. It faltered, and Hex took the chance to leap on its back. From there, it was a simple matter to hit the dragon in the back of the head with a powerful burst, all before the dragon had time to react to his presence there. It let out a roar, and then vanished the same way it had appeared. Hex found himself dumped unceremoniously on the floor below. As he got to his feet, the voice spoke again, answering his next question before he asked it.  
-That was the Prismatic Dragon. It will not be so easy a foe when you face the real thing, nor will it be so...small...-  
Hex cocked his head to one side. Small? he thought.  
-That is all, for now. It is time to awake. Your journey begins tonight.- 


	2. Chapter One: Lifebeat

Kingdom Hearts FanFiction "Vagabond Hearts" Chapter 2  
  
"What's the problem?"  
Aurelie jumped, the voice startling her out of her reverie. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the images of that room. The lighting was so strange, and those warriors...it was like they had never seen Heartless before, but that made sense. They battled them without fear, though, with a skill she had only ever seen Leon or Cloud display.  
"You okay, Aurelie?"  
Aurelie ran a hand through her white hair and sighed. "Yeah," she said. "I think I was having a vision"  
"Wouldn't have been about the Phoenix Stone by any chance?" Aurelie's companion knelt down beside her, a roguish gleam in his eyes. "Do you know what chamber it's in?"  
"No, Locke," she said with over exaggerated patience. "And I told you, I had a vision of a treasure, but I don't know that it's the Phoenix Stone."  
Locke laughed. "Well, treasure's treasure. So, what's the problem?"  
Aurelie looked at him blankly for a moment, and then she nodded. "That." Locke followed her gaze to the cavern below them, a cavern they overlooked from a high perch near the mouth of the cave. In the cavern, dimly lit by glowing rock, a fire had begun to burn on the wall. It was blood red in color, and soon spread into a pattern all too familiar to the two treasure hunters. This was the symbol of the creatures that had destroyed their Kingdom, and done so under the orders of the ruler meant to protect it. This was the symbol of the Heartless.  
When the symbol had fully formed, Shadows began to spill from it. Only a few at first, they soon increased in number to well over twenty. Still, this was a small force by Heartless standards, who usually swarmed any Kingdom they set their sights on like vermin.  
"Well, that's not too many," Locke began hopefully.  
"No, but the symbol's still shining," Aurelie returned.  
"We have to get past them, don't we?"  
"...Yes."  
"Alright, let's go!" With a wild battle cry, Locke drew his knives and leapt off the ledge. The Heartless didn't even have time to react before Locke was among them, and three of them had fallen before they laid into him. "Aurelie!" Locke yelled. "Help!"  
Aurelie sighed again and shook her head. She stood up and pointed at the mass of Heartless, speaking a single word: "Fire." In a flash, a handful of Shadows were engulfed in flames. When the magic died, there was nothing of them left. Aurelie smiled in satisfaction.  
"That's great, Aurelie!" Locke yelled, beating back the six Heartless who had attacked him. "But it didn't help me at all!" He sliced through one of the Heartless, and it burst into shadow stuff. The others were all over him again, however, and it was all he could do to not be torn apart. Aurelie gritted her teeth and leapt into the fray.  
Between the two of them, they made short work of the Shadows. As the last one fell to pieces, they turned their attention to the Heartless symbol. "Why hasn't it faded, Bunny?"  
Aurelie shrugged. "I really don't know..." She stepped towards the portal, but it suddenly spit something out at her. It was human-shaped, dressed in dark clothes decorated with electric blue tribal markings and light armor, but she and Locke jumped back instinctively. The figure lay prone on the floor for a moment, and both the treasure hunter and the viera red mage had a chance to realize that it at least didn't look like a Heartless...  
The viera approached the young man slowly, but as she leaned over to look in his face, he suddenly shot up and grabbed her. "Move!" he yelled, grabbing Locke with his other hand and diving away from the symbol with both of them in tow. A split second after he did so, a Guard Armor burst head over heels through the portal, hitting the spot were the three had been with enough force to annihilate anything that would have been there.  
All three were on their feet in a flash, weapons ready to take the Guard Armor on. "Don't let it stand," the armored youth said. "Get it now!"  
"Yeah, good idea," Locke agreed earnestly. The three attacked the Guard Armor, but it simply threw them off and rose to its feet.  
"We haven't got the strength to take this thing on," Aurelie said.  
"We have to try, though," Locke replied. He and the new arrival began to advance, but the symbol suddenly flashed brightly. When the three could see again, the symbol was gone, replaced by a dozen Shadows and a handful of what looked like armored Shadows. "But I'm not too fond of taking it on along with the Soldiers..." Locke laughed nervously. He turned to his companions as the Heartless rapidly approached. "Shall we?" he said, and ran past them.  
Aurelie looked at the boy and smiled apologetically. "He can actually be quite brave sometimes," she said, and then they both broke into a run after him.  
When they had caught up, Locke turned to the armored youth. "So, what's your name?" he asked breathlessly.  
"Rock," the boy replied.  
"Rock?" Locke asked. "What kind of name is tha -" Locke was cut off as he slammed head first into a rock outcropping in the middle of the chamber floor.  
"Locke!" Aurelie cried. She stopped and returned to him, and the other boy did, as well. They both crouched next to Locke, who lay dazed on the floor.  
"Keep going," he mumbled. "Leave me..."  
"We aren't going without you," the other youth replied.  
Locke nodded. "Good, 'cause I didn't mean it..."  
The boy chuckled and stood to face the rush of Heartless. "Give me a minute to Cure him, and then we'll keep going," Aurelie said, but the boy shook his head.  
"No, I'll fight them here," he said, looking around this new chamber. He stepped a few feet away from the other two. As he did so, he heard Locke mumble, "I like him. He didn't leave me. You would've left me."  
"Oh, I would not," Aurelie snapped. "Now lay still. Cure."  
As the magical light washed over Locke, the electric blue youth pointed his combat gloves towards the ceiling. "Aero!" he yelled.  
"Aero?" Locke asked, having recovered. "That's a defensive spell..."  
"I guess that depends on how you use it..." Aurelie said respectively. The two of them watched as the force of wind knocked rocks loose from the ceiling, burying the force of Heartless in a perfectly timed cave-in.  
"I hope there's another way out," the boy said as he returned to the others.  
"Maybe that..?" Aurelie asked, pointing towards a new passage that had opened in the cave-in. A strange, reddish glow came from the mouth, different then the dim yellow-green light given off by the glowing rocks of the rest of the cave.  
"Looks good," the boy said, helping Locke to his feet. "Let's go."  
"Wait, man," Locke stepped in front of him and held out his hand. "I'm Locke, and she's Aurelie."  
The young man looked at Locke's outstretched hand for a moment, and then took it in his own. "I'm Hex," he smiled.  
"Well, Hex, great to have you as long as you'll stay. Shall we?" Locke motioned toward the new opening. Hex nodded, and taking Aurelie's hand to help her keep her balance on the now-uneven floor, followed Locke to the passage. 


	3. Chapter Two: Treasure Hunters

Kingdom Hearts FanFiction "Vagabond Hearts" Chapter 2  
  
"What's the problem?"  
Aurelie jumped, the voice startling her out of her reverie. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the images of that room. The lighting was so strange, and those warriors...it was like they had never seen Heartless before, but that made sense. They battled them without fear, though, with a skill she had only ever seen Leon or Cloud display.  
"You okay, Aurelie?"  
Aurelie ran a hand through her white hair and sighed. "Yeah," she said. "I think I was having a vision"  
"Wouldn't have been about the Phoenix Stone by any chance?" Aurelie's companion knelt down beside her, a roguish gleam in his eyes. "Do you know what chamber it's in?"  
"No, Locke," she said with over exageratted patience. "And I told you, I had a vision of a treasure, but I don't know that it's the Phoenix Stone."  
Locke laughed. "Well, treasure's treasure. So, what's the problem?"  
Aurelie looked at him blankly for a moment, and then she nodded. "That." Locke followed her gaze to the cavern below them, a cavern they overlooked from a high perch near the mouth of the cave. In the cavern, dimly lit by glowing rock, a fire had begun to burn on the wall. It was blood red in color, and soon spread into a pattern all too familiar to the two treasure hunters. This was the symbol of the creatures that had destroyed their world, and done so under the orders of the ruler meant to protect it. This was the symbol of the Heartless.  
When the symbol had fully formed, Shadows began to spill from it. Only a few at first, they soon increased in number to well over twenty. Still, this was a small force by Heartless standards, who usually swarmed any world they set their sights on like vermin.  
"Well, that's not too many," Locke began hopefully.  
"No, but the symbol's still shining," Aurelie returned.  
"We have to get past them, don't we?"  
"...Yes."  
"Alright, let's go!" With a wild battle cry, Locke drew his knives and leapt off the ledge. The Heartless didn't even have time to react before Locke was among them, and three of them had fallen before they laid into him. "Aurelie!" Locke yelled. "Help!"  
Aurelie sighed again and shook her head. She stood up and pointed at the mass of Heartless, speaking a single word: "Fire." In a flash, a handful of Shadows were engulfed in flames. When the magic died, there was nothing of them left. Aurelie smiled in satisfaction.  
"That's great, Aurelie!" Locke yelled, beating back the six Heartless who had attacked him. "But it didn't help me at all!" He sliced through one of the Heartless, and it burst into shadow stuff. The others were all over him again, however, and it was all he could do to not be torn apart. Aurelie gritted her teeth and leapt into the fray.  
Between the two of them, they made short work of the Shadows. As the last one fell to pieces, they turned their attention to the Heartless symbol. "Why hasn't it faded, Bunny?"  
Aurelie shrugged. "I really don't know..." She stepped towards the portal, but it suddenly spit something out at her. It was human-shaped, dressed in dark clothes decorated with electric blue tribal markings and light armor, but she and Locke jumped back instinctively. The figure lay prone on the floor for a moment, and both the treasure hunter and the viera red mage had a chance to realize that it at least didn't look like a Heartless...  
The viera approached the young man slowly, but as she leaned over to look in his face, he suddenly shot up and grabbed her. "Move!" he yelled, grabbing Locke with his other hand and diving away from the symbol with both of them in tow. A split second after he did so, a Guard Armor burst head over heels through the portal, hitting the spot were the three had been with enough force to annihilate anything that would have been there.  
All three were on their feet in a flash, weapons ready to take the Guard Armor on. "Don't let it stand," the armored youth said. "Get it now!"  
"Yeah, good idea," Locke agreed earnestly. The three attacked the Guard Armor, but it simply threw them off and rose to its feet.  
"We haven't got the strength to take this thing on," Aurelie said.  
"We have to try, though," Locke replied. He and the new arrival began to advance, but the symbol suddenly flashed brightly. When the three could see again, the symbol was gone, replaced by a dozen Shadows and a handful of what looked like armored Shadows. "But I'm not too fond of taking it on along with the Soldiers..." Locke laughed nervously. He turned to his companions as the Heartless rapidly approached. "Shall we?" he said, and ran past them.  
Aurelie looked at the boy and smiled apologetically. "He can actually be quite brave sometimes," she said, and then they both broke into a run after him.  
When they had caught up, Locke turned to the armored youth. "So, what's your name?" he asked breathlessly.  
"Rock," the boy replied.  
"Rock?" Locke asked. "What kind of name is tha -" Locke was cut off as he slammed head first into a rock outcropping in the middle of the chamber floor.  
"Locke!" Aurelie cried. She stopped and returned to him, and the other boy did, as well. They both crouched next to Locke, who lay dazed on the floor.  
"Keep going," he mumbled. "Leave me..."  
"We aren't going without you," the other youth replied.  
Locke nodded. "Good, 'cause I didn't mean it..."  
The boy chuckled and stood to face the rush of Heartless. "Give me a minute to Cure him, and then we'll keep going," Aurelie said, but the boy shook his head.  
"No, I'll fight them here," he said, looking around this new chamber. He stepped a few feet away from the other two. As he did so, he heard Locke mumble, "I like him. He didn't leave me. You would've left me."  
"Oh, I would not," Aurelie snapped. "Now lay still. Cure."  
As the magical light washed over Locke, the electric blue youth pointed his combat gloves towards the ceiling. "Aero!" he yelled.  
"Aero?" Locke asked, having recovered. "That's a defensive spell..."  
"I guess that depends on how you use it..." Aurelie said respectively. The two of them watched as the force of wind knocked rocks loose from the ceiling, burying the force of Heartless in a perfectly timed cave-in.  
"I hope there's another way out," the boy said as he returned to the others.  
"Maybe that..?" Aurelie asked, pointing towards a new passage that had opened in the cave-in. A strange, reddish glow came from the mouth, different then the dim yellow-green light given off by the glowing rocks of the rest of the cave.  
"Looks good," the boy said, helping Locke to his feet. "Let's go."  
"Wait, man," Locke stepped in front of him and held out his hand. "I'm Locke, and she's Aurelie."  
The young man looked at Locke's outstretched hand for a moment, and then took it in his own. "I'm Hex," he smiled.  
"Well, Hex, great to have you as long as you'll stay. Shall we?" Locke motioned toward the new opening. Hex nodded, and taking Aurelie's hand to help her keep her balance on the now-uneven floor, followed Locke to the passage. 


	4. Chapter Three: Within the Shrine

Kingdom Hearts FanFiction "Vagabond Hearts"  
  
Legal Stuff:  
Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Disney, and all related characters aren't my property, yadda-yadda-yadda. I'm not making money off this, it isn't copyright infringement, etc. I hypocritically request that none of my original characters be used without my permission, and so on. Play the Neopets CCG. It's fun.  
Oh, and Neopets isn't mine, either...  
  
Chapter 3  
Hex followed Locke and Aurelie down the passage, a few steps behind them. When he had fallen through the portal, he had been confused by his surroundings and the disappearance of the Heartless demon he had followed. A split second later, he recognized Aurelie and Locke from the mirrors in his dream, which confused him more. Another split second later, he remembered what was about to fall on him, and remembered that he didn't have time for confusion or questions.  
It was all one hell of a head-trip. First, the little imps that had haunted his nightmares as a child turn out to be real. Then, two of the people he had seen in his most recent nightmare, the first nightmare he had had in six years, turn out to be real. Real people.  
Hell of a head-trip. Unless he was dreaming all this right now. That seemed pretty possible. Maybe he was still back at the Lifebeat...  
No, this is what had happened when he was ten. He had spent his days walking through real life and believing it was a dream, taking his dreams and nightmares as truth. And somewhere in that haze, he lost control of his growing Fate, and in turn, had lost his family...  
Hex looked up from his thoughts and saw that his two new companions had stopped at an ornately carved door. Locke was kneeling next to door, attempting to pick the lock. A loud and violent curse indicated that he wasn't having much success. Aurelie giggled and looked over at Hex. She smiled and waved him over, and he stepped up to the door.  
"You have to be very quite," she said in a hissing, mock whisper. "Locke really needs to concentrate."  
Locke mumbled something in response, but Hex didn't catch it. In return, Aurelie began making faces at Locke behind Locke's back, and Hex couldn't help but laugh. At this, Locke looked up sharply. "Do you want to try this?" he snapped. "Think you can do better?"  
"Oh, Locke, stop it," Aurelie scolded. "We're just having fun."  
"It's all right, Aurelie," Hex said. And it was. In that moment, Hex saw that pained determination in Locke's eyes, the same pain he could tell Locke's image in the mirror was trying to hide. "Here, Locke. I've done a couple locks before, I'll give this one a try."  
Locke breathed deeply, and then handed his lock pick to Hex. "Go for it," he said, stepping aside. Hex stepped up to the door and ran his hand over it, trying to get a feel for the locking mechanism. As he did, the door suddenly swung open.  
The three of them stood looking at the door in surprise for a moment before Aurelie said, "See, Locke? You did get it."  
Locke shook his head. "No I didn't."  
Hex looked into the darkness beyond the door, but he couldn't make anything out. He glanced at Locke and Aurelie, and then stepped through. When he got a few feet in, clear of the door, an unseen light flared. He heard Aurelie and Locke yell out in surprise, but the sound was cut short when the door slammed shut behind Hex.  
Hex whirled around and began pulling on the door, but it wouldn't budge. He pounded on it, but doing so made no noise. Confused and a little nervous, he turned back around to get a look at his new surroundings. It came as a great shock to see that he had been here before.  
He was in the Shrine of Elemental Hearts, that same stained glass floor floating in darkness he had visited in his dream. This was almost too much for Hex, the final straw, and he felt himself slipping into shock as his mind reeled from the mixture of dream and reality. He could feel his Fate begin to slip, he could feel a magical storm of air and sparking electricity forming around him. He was saved by the voice.  
-There are many worlds, but they all share one sky...-  
Hex looked up, trying to find a source for the voice this time. But it seemed to come from all around him, and he couldn't pinpoint it.  
-One sky, one destiny...-  
"What is this?" Hex demanded. Fear and shock were giving way to anger.  
-You've asked that question before. This is the beginning.-  
Hex took a deep breath. "The beginning of what?"  
-Of your journey towards your destiny, Vagabond Hero."  
"Stop that! I'm not this Vagabond Hero you're talking about!"  
-Yes, you are. And you were always meant to be.-  
"No, I'm just a Clan fighter, a student of Fate!"  
-A student of Fate, and a hero of Destiny.-  
Hex glared into the dark ceiling above. "Not that kind of Fate," he said.  
-On the contrary, that kind of Fate.-  
"But I wasn't the only one in Neon who studied Fate. Why am I the only one here?"  
-Because this is your Fate. The others, your friends, have their own Fates. But you are not alone.-  
"What do you mean?" Hex asked. "First, I'm alone. Then, I'm not. Which is it?"  
-I mean that your Destiny is your own, but you need not walk the path towards it alone. And I mean that others carry Destinies just as important as yours in the coming battle against the Heartless.-  
As the voice spoke, a misty image appeared in the center of the floor. Hex stepped towards it, looked within to see through the mists. He saw three children playing, dueling and racing. They were only a couple years younger then him, but they seemed more child-like, less serious. One, however, a gray-haired youth who reminded Hex of Damon - he seemed like he had deeper thoughts then he shared with his companions...darker thoughts, even.  
After a moment, the image focused on the other boy, a grinning, dark- haired youth. The image froze, the boy was stuck in the middle of a wild swing with a wooden sword. "Who is that kid?" Hex asked.  
-His name is Sora, and he carries a large Destiny. I fear it may be too large for his young shoulders, which is why I brought you here.  
-Sora is more then he appears, possessing a power he knows nothing about. He is a Keyblade Master, perhaps the most powerful of any, save King Mickey himself. I admit, he was not our first choice, but the other boy has chosen the darkness even before the choice has been presented to him...-  
Hex didn't recognize the name, but he was quickly coming to grips with the idea that something very real, very dangerous, and much bigger then him was working here. He did not ask the voice for clarification, but let it continue.  
-Sora must battle the man responsible for the rise of the Heartless himself.-  
The image shifted now, showing an aging, dark skin man. Hex could make out all the details of his dress and face - he wore a Heartless symbol over his robes, and seemed on the brink of death. He was surrounded by darkness, a darkness so deep and powerful that it seemed very much alive. Hex feared it actually was. As Hex watched, the man seemed to cast off his very body, giving to the darkness and allowing his spirit to drift away.  
-His name is Ansem.- the voice finished.  
-Sora must stop him from opening the doors to Kingdom Hearts, the beginning of all worlds. Ansem believes that darkness lies within, and he seeks to return all things to this darkness.-  
"So what lies within?" Hex asked.  
-When the time is right, you will know the answer to that question in your heart.-  
Hex nodded, and let the voice continue as he gazed back into the mist.  
-But Ansem has released others evils, other beings of darkness in his bid for power. These evils are too numerous for Sora and King Mickey alone. And so, we have called others. I have chosen you.-  
Hex sighed deeply and looked at the ground. "What do I have to do?"  
-Ansem has released the Heartless, and they seek to return all things to darkness at his request. But not all of them follow his command. Among those released with free will is a powerful Heartless demon known now as Chaos.  
-Chaos seeks to go beyond returning all worlds to their beginnings. He wants to keep them, but he wants to plunge them into madness. Look around you. The six crystals you see are the Elemental Hearts, the hearts of the very forces of magic and creation. Ansem's efforts have shattered the boundaries between Kingdoms, which has in turn upset the balance. The Elemental Hearts were contained here for the safety of all Kingdoms. They are dark inside, now. Their lights are no longer contained, and Chaos or any other force now has access to them. Chaos has already gained the power of the Elemental Heart of Chaos, the key to his plans. Should Chaos gain control of the rest, he could use them to plunge all worlds into eternal pandemonium. All Kingdoms would be places of fear and destruction.-  
"Wow," Hex said. "What a jerk..."  
-I will grant you the power to stop Chaos, if you would have it.-  
"...So, I have a choice..?"  
-Yes. What will your decision be?"  
"...Why me?"  
-It takes a powerful heart to stand against the Heartless. And it takes a special heart to hold that power when all ties to home have been cut. Sora and his companion each possesses such strength, and you possess a strength both similar and intrinsically different . You possess a Vagabond Heart, a willingness to save those homes and histories that you can never be a part of. That is why I have chosen you.-  
Hex closed his eyes. "Will I ever see my home again?"  
-Yes. As a matter of fact, there will come a time when your home will be an important stage in the battle against Chaos. But do you really care if you see your home or past again?"  
Hex thought for a moment. When he answered, he was sad to say it, but it was a very true answer, an answer he felt in his heart and soul, an answer he truly believed.  
"No, I don't care. Not in the face of this danger. If I have to sacrifice my home and past to do what is right, then I will."  
-That is the power of the Vagabond Heart. Even Sora will have trouble coming to grips with the loss of home and friends, and returning to both will be a drive that will put his entire quest in jeopardy. At the same time, however, it will be a driving force behind his fulfilling it.-  
"But not for me," Hex said. "For me, all that matters is that my world and friends remain. It doesn't matter if I see them again...Huh. Power of the Vagabond Heart? Seems more like a curse. Guess my name finally makes sense to me now."  
-This has been planned for quite some time...-  
"Do you know what happened to my family?" Hex didn't know why he asked that question, but it suddenly struck him that whatever he was talking to might know. Hex himself had no memory of the incident that took their lives.  
-Yes. Would you like to know?-  
"No...not yet." Hex decided he shouldn't know yet, as suddenly as he had realized this voice could give him the answer. He looked up. "So, what's this power?"  
-Fire and Water. Earth and Air. Light and Darkness. All exist in Balance, the essence of all things. This is your power: the EssenceHand.-  
The mists before Hex vanished, and were replaced by a seventh pedestal. On this pedestal was a pair of powerful-looking combat gloves. They both reached as high as the elbow. The left hand glove was lightly armored, while the right hand glove was thickly armored. Though the main portion of the glove reached only to the elbow, the armored plate extending from the wrist like a shield reached to the shoulder. Hex reached towards the gloves, and when his hand touched them, they were suddenly on him. For a second, some detached part of Hex's mind wondered wildly how he would get these things off if he didn't know how he got them on. But the thought was scattered by the sounds of Locke and Aurelie pounding and yelling at the door.  
-They will aid you as loyal friends, if you are a loyal friend to them. Remember that they have their own quests, though. They, too, have been chosen for a reason, and their quests are part of the greater one. Follow them at times. Do not always demand they follow you.-  
Hex nodded, and silently stepped towards the door. As he reached towards it, already adapting to the extra weight and strange sense of movement in his right arm, the voice spoke again. Hex stopped to listen.  
-Hex. Make sure Chaos is destroyed before the last Elemental Heart is lit. Disaster would follow if it is not. Do not let Chaos stand in the light of the Kingdoms.-  
Hex nodded again, and reached to open the door. 


	5. Chapter Four: Union

Kingdom Hearts FanFiction Vagabond Hearts Chapter Four  
  
Insert usual copyright information and "Don't so me, Square-Enix or Disney," comments here. And go outside once in awhile. Seriously, son, your mother and I are worried about you. Don't make us stage an intervention.  
  
"Where were you, Hex?"  
Hex stepped from the darkness beyond the door to the Shrine of Elemental Hearts, back into the dim and eerie glow of the cavern passage. He showed Aurelie his new EssenceHand as he answered her question.  
"In the Shrine of Elemental Hearts, receiving my orders," he said.  
Aurelie and Locke looked at the EssenceHand as Hex explained what had happened in the Shrine. The right Hand was an awesome looking gauntlet, banded at the knuckles of each finger. The shield that merged with the gauntlet at the wrist and forearm reached as high as Hex's shoulder, and wrapped around his arm to protect the entire thing. It was decorated with tribal wing markings matching those on Hex's shirt, and an additional tribal marking resembling a key was etched between them. The left Hand resembled the right without the shield, save a single yellow gem marked with a strange blue logo on the top of the hand. The logo was three circles etched together to resemble a head with large ears.  
"Isn't that the mark of King Mickey, Locke?" Aurelie asked as she looked at the logo.  
"Yeah, I think so," Locke replied.  
"King Mickey? The voice in the Shrine mentioned him. Who is he?" Hex asked.  
"The king of some world called the Magic Kingdom," Aurelie answered.  
"He's on a mission to find the Keyblade Master and the door to Kingdom Hearts," Locke continued. "So he can end the threat of the Heartless all single-handed style."  
"No," Hex shook his head. "Not alone, not single-handedly. He has help." Hex looked up at the two of them. "He apparently has a lot of help. Including us."  
"Us?" Locke asked. "No, we've got our own problems..."  
"And the voice assured me that your mission, your destiny - it is a part of mine," Hex answered. "Your quest will still be fulfilled. But we also have important roles to play in the battle against the Heartless."  
Locke looked at Hex uncertainly for a moment, and then turned to Aurelie. "What do you think, Aurelie? What do your visions say?" Hex noted the statement that Aurelie had visions, but said nothing.  
"Nothing, Locke," Aurelie answered. "But they must have brought us here for a reason. I think this must be it."  
"So no Phoenix Stone..." Locke stepped back and leaned against a wall, sullen and silent. He remained there, and Hex wasn't sure if he was listening any longer.  
"So this is the EssenceHand, then?" Aurelie asked Hex.  
"Yes. The Kingdom Hand, to be exact," Hex answered. "I think it can take different forms depending on the jewel I place on my left hand."  
"Did the voice tell you that?"  
"No, I just sort of...know it, I guess," Hex looked around as he answered. "Look, where are we?" he asked suddenly.  
"In the caverns beneath the Mana Tree." Aurelie answered immediately. "In the Mana Kingdom itself."  
"The Mana Kingdom..." Hex shook his head. "Man, I was still dealing with the possibility of a world outside my city walls being nothing but an illusion. Now, I've got to deal with the existence of other worlds entirely?" Hex shook his head again and trailed off in thought.  
"Don't worry about it," Locke shrugged. "We took it as a hell of a shock, ourselves. If you think it's hard to grasp the idea of other worlds, wait 'till you see how we travel between them. That's a real kick."  
"And what about you, Locke?" Hex stepped over to the young man. "What's this Phoenix Stone, and why do you need it?"  
"It's a stone containing a limitless power to heal, a treasure of legend I heard about in our travels," Locke answered vaguely. After a moment of silence, he looked Hex dead in the eye. "And I need it for a friend." Hex heard the tone of Locke's voice, not a threatening tone, but a resolute one, and understood that he would not get the whole story right away.  
"And you, Aurelie?" Hex turned to the viera next. "Your visions brought you here after the Stone?"  
"No, my visions aren't that specific," Aurelie responded. "We were brought here after something that would take us to our goal."  
"Well, then," Hex smiled, and turned back to Locke. "Locke, the voice in the Shrine said I would need your help. I don't know why, exactly, but I welcome it. However, I won't force you, either of you, to help me. I'll let you two decide that."  
Hex's tone became much more serious, matching Locke's previous tone. He looked Locke in the eye as he spoke, as Locke had to him. "Just remember this: I promise you, here and now, that if you help me, I will help you. I will do whatever I can to help you find the Stone, and help your friend."  
The three companions stood in silence for a moment. Hex did not take his eyes from Locke's. Finally, Locke stepped off the wall and smiled at each of his companions. "Alright, I'm in. We're in," he looked at Aurelie, and she nodded in agreement. "So, where do we start?" Locke asked.  
"Actually, I don't know," Hex frowned. "We need to find the Elemental Hearts."  
"And we don't know where they are," Aurelie sighed. "Great..."  
"Well, we need information, then," Locke said. "And where better to go then where we were headed, anyway? Hex, Aurelie, we're headed to Traverse Town!" Locke tried to apply an emphasis on this last part, but Hex had turned away and didn't respond. "Hex, did you here me?"  
"Traverse Town, right," Hex said. "But we need to deal with them, first."  
Aurelie and Locke followed Hex's gaze down the passage, and Aurelie gasped when they saw the Heartless they thought Hex had buried coming toward them. The Guard Armor could not fit in the passage, but they could see its massive detached feet in the chamber they had come from.  
Aurelie and Locke were at Hex's side in a flash. "We're with you, Hex," Locke said.  
"Alright, let's show 'em what we got!" Hex yelled. He and Locke leapt at the dozen Shadows and Soldiers, weapons readied. Aurelie remained at a distance, readying a spell.  
Locke reached the Heartless first, and his twin daggers flashed with magical flame as he cut through the mass. Three Shadows and a single Soldier fell, and when the others turned to take on Locke, Hex dashed behind them. He waved his hand, and a trio of energy bolts appeared, just like in his nightmare the night before. Hex noted dully how distant the night before seemed as the energy bolts streaked towards their targets. The bolts found their marks, and two more Shadows and another Soldier fell.  
A well-timed Thunder spell cast by Aurelie took out the last of the Shadows, leaving only four Soldiers. One of the Soldiers broke from the melee, dashing toward Aurelie. She stumbled back and attempted to draw her rapier, but she slipped on the uneven ground. The Soldier was upon her in a heartbeat, and its clawed hand streaked down at her chest. She brought her arm up in defense, and yelled out in fear.  
"Aero!" Hex yelled, pointing his hand at Aurelie. A sourceless wind rushed around Aurelie, defending her from the Soldier's attack. Locke was there next to her, then. He stuck the Heartless with both his daggers, and it faded into shadow.  
Locke helped Aurelie up and the two rejoined Hex, who was using a well-placed Aero spell to hold the last three Soldiers at bay. "What are you doing?" Locke asked. "You could waste them easy, I think."  
"I think I could, too," Hex replied. "But I want to use them to trip up the Armor out there. I'll only get one shot at it, though, and then I'm out. Aurelie, enjoy that shield while it you can. Aerora!"  
The sudden force of wind surrounding Hex knocked back the three Soldiers. They stumbled out of the passage, and Hex pushed after them. As they fumbled around the feet of the Guard Armor, the Armor itself stumbled backwards. Aurelie and Locke followed Hex out of the passage, and quickly acted with an impressive joint attack.  
Aurelie cast a Fire spell on one of the Soldiers at the mouth of the passage. As the shadow and flame faded, Locke rushed past it. He ran his daggers through the flame at the last minute, and the flame burning along his blades burned much brighter. Using the additional strength, he easily defeated the last two Soldiers.  
Now, all that was left was the Guard Armor itself. The three adventurers stood together as the Armor prepared for battle. "Either of you know a really good trick?" Hex asked with a nervous chuckle.  
"Man, we know more than one," Locke answered. "Ready, Aurelie?"  
"Ready, Locke," Aurelie said confidently. "Hex, when we give the signal, attack the Armor from here with your bolts."  
"Right," Hex nodded once.  
"Now!" Locke yelled. Hex blasted the Armor's head with three bolts, followed quickly by another three. He went for another wave, but the Hand did not produce one.  
"Looks like this thing has it limits, kids!" Hex yelled.  
"No problem! Thunder!" Aurelie yelled. The Armor reeled back as lightning flashed all around it. Locke was dashing right into the storm, and Hex felt certain that he must get hit. But when he reached the feet of the Armor, he jumped right into the storm. Hex ran after him, and Aurelie was behind Hex, but something happened that Hex did not expect.  
"Phoenix Rise!" Locke yelled. As the magical storm faded, Locke flashed upward into the air at the Armor's head. Fire flared off his daggers and arms, looking like flaming wings. When he struck the Armor, fire burst everywhere, and Hex was certain Locke must have been consumed. But as Aurelie summoned another Thunder spell, Locke fell harmlessly to the ground. "Let's see what trick you've got up your Hand, Hex!" Locke yelled as he hit his feet and leapt away from the Armor.  
Hex smiled and stepped forward. He focused his mind on the EssenceHand, and a thought seemed to form in his mind. As the Thunder spell faded, Hex looked up at the Armor. It was wounded, but not defeated, and it was rapidly bearing down on him. Aurelie let out a yell of warning, but Hex held up his hand. When he did, it began to glow. After a moment, the glow reached a deep blue color. At the last possible moment, Hex punched upwards toward the Guard Armor. "Quicksilver Strike!"  
A web of magical energy burst from Hex's EssenceHand. It spun in the air, forming a blade of energy, which sliced the Guard Armor completely in two. The energy continued through the air, slicing through the pile of rubble Hex had created in the center of the chamber, and then disappearing in the darkness.  
The pieces of the Armor crashed to the ground, and no one moved or spoke until long after the echoes of the crash had faded. Finally, Aurelie broke the silence.  
"Friggin' wow..." she said.  
"Well," Locke said nonchalantly. "Guess we better warn Mog the Heartless are here, and then get to our ship."  
Hex turned to them, but neither spoke nor moved for another moment. When he spoke, it was with a slanted smile and the same tone Locke had used. "Yeah, let's go."  
The three climbed through the rubble using the hole Hex's Quicksilver Strike had created, and Locke and Aurelie led Hex back to the entrance. 


	6. Chapter Five: Journey

Kingdom Hearts FanFiction Vagabond Hearts Chapter Five ============= Disclaimer =============  
Insert the usual copyright infringement denials here. For the fans, I made some minor alterations to the earlier chapters, to make them more cannon. The only really important plot point is that there are now six Elemental Hearts in the Shrine, but still eight total.  
Alright, cue the theme: I'm In Over My Head =============  
Hex did not even notice he and his new companions had left the caves beneath the Mana Tree until they were in the Tree itself. He had been a little nervous that he wouldn't be able to use his Fate in the battle against the Guard Armor a short while ago, since he was no longer in possession of his old combat gloves. But his new EssenceHand was as familiar to him as his old weapon, maybe more so, like he had trained with it all his life.  
Summoning the power to use that Quicksilver Strike after draining all his power on Aero spells had left him very tired, however. Locke and Aurelie ended up almost carrying him from the cave, and he was near unconsciousness the entire time.  
The sight of these strange, short bipedal lions called moombas had quickly brought him back to his sense, however. And the sight of the white, winged bears called moogles had nearly sent him reeling again.  
Locke and Aurelie explained that moogles were a mystery throughout the Kingdoms. As they climbed through the city built in the branches of the Mana Tree, the two treasure hunters told Hex that moogles were native to many Kingdoms, a strange occurrence, considering that all Kingdoms had been separate from each other until only recently.  
The moombas were native to the Mana Kingdom, and dedicated their lives to the protection of the Mana Tree. The Mana Tree, in turn, was believed in legend to be a major source of creation and life in the Kingdoms, a conduit to Kingdom Hearts itself.  
By the time the three companions reached their destination, Hex had enough of his energy back to joke about how easily he was accepting all this.  
They came to an open-air platform, where Hex was greeted by two more odd sights. The first was a moogle who seemed to be summoning magical effects by dancing. Light, air, and earth drifted around him as the moogle twirled and spun in an almost comical manner.  
"That's Mog," Aurelie said as they approached. "He leads a group of moogles who escaped their Kingdom and came here. He single-handedly forged an alliance between his own people and the moombas, and more moogles have been arriving, ever since."  
"Aren't the moombas worried that they won't be able to provide for all the refugees?" Hex asked.  
"The Mana Tree will provide, man," Locke answered.  
While Aurelie and Locke went to talk to Mog, presumably about the Heartless that had followed Hex here - or had he followed them? - Hex went to examine that second odd sight that had caught his attention when he had arrived on the platform.  
All along the outer edge of the platform were set a series of planes and ships built of a strange, gummy material. Hex asked a moomba about them, and the moomba explained in a growling voice that the ships were in fact called Gummi Ships, and were built of a material of unknown origins called Gummi Blocks. These ships were the most common method of travel used by the growing number of travelers between Kingdoms. Hex decided that Locke had not been kidding when he said the method of travel would come as a shock. Some of the ships looked entirely comical.  
Hex returned to Aurelie, Locke, and Mog. Mog was explaining the beginnings of a defense against the Heartless in a squeaking voice. When Hex walked up, Mog turned to him and smiled. "Welcome, Hex," Mog squeaked. "So the Mana Tree chose you to protect the Shrine. I think the Moombas would be pleased."  
Hex was a little taken aback by how much this moogle seemed to know about what was going on, but Mog explained that he had a special connection to the Elemental Hearts, himself. "That's why the moombas trust me, see?" Mog said.  
"Anyway, don't worry about us," Mog said to Locke and Aurelie. "We can hold our own against any Heartless! The Vagabond is ready, you guys can go anytime."  
"Then we'll go now," Locke said. "Thanks for the help, Mog!"  
"Yes, Mog, thank you!" Aurelie smiled.  
"Nice meeting you, Mog," Hex said.  
"Nice meeting you, Hex," Mog said, and flew away.  
"So, your ship is called the Vagabond?" Hex asked as he, Locke, and Aurelie walked towards the ship.  
"Yeah, kind of a weird coincidence, huh?" Aurelie responded.  
"To say the least," Hex trailed off as he saw which ship was theirs. There were plenty of impressive-looking ships on this platform, and a handful of decent-looking ones. Theirs was apparently neither. Hex could find only two recognizable weapons on it, and no shielding.  
"We actually lost our old one a few Kingdoms back," Locke sighed. "We bought this one on the cheap, and our friend Cid helped us out a bit with it, but I realize it still doesn't look like much..."  
"Long as it gets us where we need to go, I guess," Hex shrugged.  
"That's the spirit!" Aurelie said as she climbed in. "Just make sure you buckle up. It'll be a pretty rough ride if we bump into any Heartless ships."  
"The Heartless have ships, too?" Hex asked nervously.  
  
--------------------------  
  
As it turned out, they did not encounter any Heartless ships on the trip to Traverse Town. The trip itself was actually pretty short, but it gave Hex a chance to get used to space travel. It honestly looked nothing like he expected, and was full of meteors built of random Gummi Blocks. The whole thing seemed to have been built out of wood by a child.  
When they arrived at Traverse Town, Locke and Aurelie took Hex to a regular-looking building in the courtyard district of town. Coming from a true cityscape, Hex found he was not at all impressed by this quaint- looking town. There were moogles here, and stranger things. As they had entered the town gates, a trio of little duck boys had rushed past them into town. Hex had accepted this just as easily as he had accepted the moogles and moombas in the Mana Kingdom. That is to say, he just didn't take time to consider it weird.  
In the house, Hex was introduced to four of Aurelie and Locke's friends. Yuffie was a cute ninja girl about his own age, and Aerith was a magic-user a year or so older. Aerith seemed to give off an aura of peace and comfort, and Hex truly felt at peace around her.  
There was also a dark-haired warrior in leather, who went by the name of Leon. He admonished Aurelie when she introduced him as Squall, and wielded a weapon Hex found very interesting. Leon called it a "gunblade." There was another, older man named Cid present, as well, and Hex correctly assumed he was the Cid Locke had mentioned before.  
After introductions had been made, Locke turned to Cid. "How is she?" he asked.  
"Same as you left her, kid," Cid answered gruffly. "For better or for worse."  
Locke nodded silently, and then left the house. "Where's he going?" Hex asked in concern. He looked out the window, but Locke had already disappeared.  
"He's going to the Refuge, where Celes is resting under a permanent Stop spell," Aurelie explained.  
"Wait, huh?" Hex looked at her questioningly. "What exactly happened to this friend of his, anyway?"  
Before Aurelie could answer, Leon interrupted. "Look, I appreciate Locke's problem, Aurelie, but we could really use your help in finding the Keyblade Master King Mickey told us was coming."  
"He's on his way, don't worry," Hex said.  
Leon turned on Hex in a flash. "Do you know something?" he asked sternly.  
"Only what I was told in the Shrine of Elemental Hearts, man," Hex answered.  
"Leave the kid alone, Leon," Cid said quietly. "He's the EssenceFighter, he's got more important things to do then keep track of the Keyblade Master for us."  
"Thank you, Cid," Aurelie said.  
"Alright," Hex shook his head. "I'm sensing a whole lot of tension in this room. What exactly have you all been through?"  
"It's a long story," Yuffie sighed.  
"Well, if the Keyblade Master hasn't even gotten this far yet," Hex sat down in a chair near the window, "then I think we have time." 


	7. Interlude: Escape

Kingdom Hearts FanFiction Vagabond Hearts Interlude ============ Disclaimer ============  
Who's ready for the grand escape from Hollow Bastion? A bit of back story on Locke and Aurelie, and my vision of something that I completely believe should have been a cutscene in the friggin' game. That's good story telling! At least, I hope it is... I'm not getting as many reviews as I'd like. Come on, people! Recommend this story to your friends, tell me what you think. Review just to say "Hi!" I need validation, here!  
Anyway, insert the usual "Don't sue me, Disney and Square-Enix" speech here, and throw in a "Pretty please" encore for giggles. Cue the theme song, and away we go! ============  
There were Heartless all around her; Shadows and Soldiers and worse things. There was a Behemoth rampaging in the courtyard outside. The whole world was going to hell, falling into darkness and insanity. And Celes Chere and her group of rebels were the only thing standing in the way.  
Or, at least, they had been.  
"Locke, Aurelie, are you still with me?"  
"We're here, Celes," Locke answered from behind her.  
"How you doing, Aurelie?" Celes turned to her allies.  
Aurelie stood supported on Locke's shoulder, holding her side. A gruesome gash ran down it, caused by a falling metal beam that hit her as the three had run through the collapsing entrance hall. "I'll make it," she said through gritted teeth. Celes nodded and the three continued through the palace passageways at a run.  
"Are you sure about this, trusting our fates to Avalanche?" Locke asked.  
"They are not our enemies," Celes said sternly. "We were members of Avalanche once, too, remember?"  
"And now we're Returners," Locke returned angrily. "They wouldn't even listen to us when we tried to warn them about Ansem!"  
Celes swept her sword in front of her, slicing cleanly through two Heartless who had strayed too close. "Locke, I didn't believe you at first, myself," she said. "But I went with you because I love you. They don't know you like I do, they wouldn't believe you."  
"Yeah," Locke growled. "As far as they're concerned, I'm nothing but a thief."  
"Well, you are a thief," said a new voice. "But those are the skills we accepted you into Avalanche for in the first place."  
The three Returners stopped running and turned to this new arrival. Squall Leonheart stood in the opening of a branching passage. The young ninja, Yuffie, stood behind him. "And I'm sorry we didn't believe you guys," he said earnestly. "You were right."  
"None of that matters, now!" Celes said. "We were all once dedicated to the protection of this world. And we all failed in that." The others were silent, listening to Celes speak as the Heartless raged aimlessly around them. "The Heartless will take this world, and then they'll move on to others. We have to do our best to protect the rest, now."  
"Cid has the ships ready," Squall said. "Plenty of them."  
Celes nodded. "Let's go." -------------  
The five arrived on the Gummi Ship platform, Heartless attacking them from all sides. Aurelie stood under her own power, now, healed somewhat by a Cure spell. Her Fire spells flashed between the glaciers of Celes's Ice spells. Yuffie, Locke, and Squall moved like animals, Heartless falling to their blades almost as quickly as they rose. Cid was already standing on the platform, fighting off Soldiers and Air Soldiers with a spear.  
"Cid!" Celes called. "Where are the others?"  
"Sabin and Edgar are gone, I don't know where everyone else is!" Cid answered.  
Celes fought her way to Cid's side. "Gone?" she said.  
"That crazy old sage of ours sacrificed them to the Heartless," Cid said dully. "Gave up his own kids to the darkness, said he needed a better body..."  
"That bastard." Celes kept fighting, even as tears streamed down her face. First Cecil, and then their professors, Quistis and Cyan. Now Sabin and Edgar. And Rinoa and the others... she had lost so many friends in all this, and was about to lose her world. She wouldn't give up anything else, not if she could help it.  
"That's it, three to a ship!" she screamed angrily. "We are leaving!"  
"What about the others?" Cid asked. "You kids are all fighters, the best I ever trained. More of you have to have survived!"  
As if in answer, Aerith ran onto the platform under the protection of an Aero spell. Shadows leapt all around her, but her spell kept them off of her. "Are we all that's left?" she asked as she ran up to Aurelie, casting another Cure spell on the viera.  
"We don't know," Cid yelled in answer. He leapt into the air and came crashing down on the head of Gargoyle, which burst into shadow. He looked around and saw dozens of spellcaster Heartless appearing from the depths of the castle. "Where's Cloud, lady?" Cid asked. "Things are really getting bad here, we could use his help to hold off the Heartless until the others get here."  
"Sephiroth grabbed Gau," Aerith said. "Cloud took off after him."  
"Our strongest hitter isn't even on our side," Relm Arrowny said as she arrived on the platform in a blaze of magic. The twin mages Palom and Porom were behind her. As they advanced to the center of the platform, Relm's magical artwork battling back Heartless, she finished, "And our second took off after him. We are all gonna die, Grandpa Strago! I'll see you in a few minutes..."  
"No, Relm!" Celes yelled. "No one else falls to the Heartless. Keep strong, and get on a ship, now!"  
As Celes spoke, a rumbling shook the whole of the enclosed platform. Everyone stopped fighting long enough to see a Soldiers activate the controls to close the massive bay doors. It smashed the control panel before Zell Dinct entered from the nearby doorway and scattered its shadowstuff to the wind. Terra Branford stepped in behind him, and looked over the panel.  
"It's smashed, people! There's nothing I can do," she said despairingly.  
"Palom, looks like we're needed!" Porom said cheerfully.  
"Funny," Palom answered just as cheerfully. "Feels like we've done this before!" As he spoke, Setzer Gabianni entered the platform. Rydia was with him. "Rydia, wanna give us a path to the door?"  
Rydia nodded silently, and with a yell, summoned her Mist Dragon. It destroyed the Heartless in front of the door, and Palom and Porom made a dash for it. At the last minute, Celes realized what they were doing.  
"Palom, Porom, don't!" she yelled hysterically.  
"At least the Heartless won't get us, big sister!" Palom said laughed.  
"Yeah, and we can stand guard until you get back!" Porom cheered.  
The two of them stood against the sliding doors, and yelled together, "Stone!" In a flash, they were turned into statues, and the doors ground to a halt.  
Seeing the two youngest students of Avalanche die, Celes fell apart. She stopped fighting, she couldn't take it any more. The Heartless were all around her, and she didn't care. She had failed, she would always fail. She couldn't stop the rise of the Heartless, she might as well give up...  
"Celes!" Locke was by her side, then, battling back the Heartless with a speed and efficiency unmatched by even Sephiroth himself. But it wasn't enough, she had given up hope. Locke could see her heart flickering, he could see the Heartless beyond the reach of his blades looking at her like hungry animals.  
"I won't lose you, Celes!" he yelled. "I won't!"  
"You won't have to!" yelled a new voice, a voice that was strong and purposeful, despite its joyous and lighthearted quality. From the darkness of the nearest doorway, King Mickey leapt into the battle. He knocked back half a dozen Heartless with a single swing of his powerful Keyblade. Against all odds, Gau was with him. Behind them were the mysterious Returner ninja, Shadow, and the young Goth sorceress, Lulu.  
"That's everyone, everyone who's left!" Mickey said. "Cloud wouldn't come with me...He was too consumed with anger." Mickey knelt down next to Celes's body, and touched his gloved hand to her forehead. "Stop," he spoke.  
"What will that do?" Locke asked. Yells went up from the battle all around him, and Locke was dimly aware that Defenders, Invisibles, and Angel Stars were joining the fight. Terra morphed and took on an Invisible, but it took every ounce of strength she had. It was all Rydia's Mist Dragon could do to hold off the others as the Avalanche and Returner fighters backed towards the ships.  
"The magic is strong," Mickey answered Locke. "As long as hit holds, she'll sleep, and she won't lose her heart." Mickey looked Locke dead in the eye. "The Phoenix Stone, Locke. You'll need the do your best to find it. The power you gain from this quest will save her."  
Mickey stood up, and shouted above the raging noise of the battle. "There are fourteen of you here! That's more then enough to come back and save this Kingdom, some day. But, for now, you need to leave. You all have destinies, you cannot lose heart. You have all lost friends today, but you can bring them back. And, in your journeys, you will meet others who share your pain and destinies. Just believe in your hearts that you will see your friends and homes again!" A Darkside rose from the center of the platform as Mickey spoke. He leapt at it, and destroyed it with a single slash of his Kingdom Key.  
"Just believe..." he finished.  
Without any more words, the fourteen warriors split into Gummi ships. Cid took his own, a ship he had once been working on for the Sage, Ansem, himself. Locke and Aurelie took another, with Celes's Stopped body. Relm went with Gau, tearfully embracing him, and Setzer followed. Zell helped the exhausted Terra into a ship, while Rydia prepared it for launch. Shadow, as silent as always, offered Lulu a hand up from the cockpit of another ship. Only two ships remained, after Mickey climbed into his own.  
"Please, Cloud," Aerith said to herself. "Take one of those ships."  
The seven ships lifted off, and escaped into the sky as the world was lost in darkness. Teenagers and children, and a single teacher - according to Mickey, part of the last force standing between the Kingdoms and the Heartless. They had already failed once, but each and every one of them took Mickey's words to heart.  
They would not fail again. ----------------  
"We were attacked by Heartless ships almost as soon as we got away from our world, and we were all separated," Aurelie finished. "Locke and I happened to come by here, Traverse Town, and met up with Cid, Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie."  
"We have no idea where the others are, now," Yuffie said sadly.  
"We just have to believe they're alright," Aerith said.  
"The Heartless have taken so much from so many," Hex sighed. "First your world, and then mine...my friends..."  
"Miss Quistis and...Rinoa..." Leon muttered.  
Locke entered the room, then. "I'll do whatever I can to help you, Locke," Hex said. "I'll do everything I can to help all of you. We can't give up, we have to believe we can beat the Heartless in the end."  
"We do believe, Hex," Leon said. "But we need the Keyblade Master to do it."  
"No, he's only one part of the greater force," Hex responded. He looked at Aurelie, and then at Locke, who was still stunned from the strange promise he had just received from Hex. "We all have destinies, Mickey told you so."  
"I already blew it once, Hex," Leon said angrily. "I can tell, because the powers that stand against the Heartless didn't choose me to wield the Keyblade. They didn't even trust me to wield the EssenceHand!"  
"Then they've chosen you for something else," Hex answered calmly. "I understand your sense of responsibility, I had a friend just like you before the Heartless took Neon."  
Hex stepped past Locke towards the door. "I'm going to the inn I saw on the flight over. Locke, Aurelie, feel free to stay with your friends, if you want," he said. "And, Squall, there's no need to run from your name or your past. You are here for a reason, you have been chosen for another task. I believe it, and I know you believe it. If you didn't, you'd have given your heart to the Heartless already. We'll leave in the morning, Locke and Aurelie. Have a good night." And Hex left the room in silence, leaving silence behind him. 


	8. Chapter Six: Dawn

Kingdom Hearts FanFiction Vagabond Hearts Chapter Six =========== Legal Bits ===========  
A copyright lawyer and a cow walk into a bar. They take a seat next to this semi-anonymous fanfiction writer. The writer mentions that he writes fanfiction, and the copyright lawyer goes off about how he can't sue the writer, thanks to cushy remarks like, "All characters who are the property of Disney or Square-Enix are their property, not mine. Please don't sue me," and the fact that the writer sweats blood for absolutely no financial gain. When the lawyer's finished, the writer asks why he's in the bar with a cow. The lawyer gets real mad now, and yells out, "That's no cow! That's my wife!"  
I'm kidding. I have nothin' but love for the copyright lawyers. Please don't sue me. And, yes, I know that was not funny. ===========  
Darkness. There was darkness all around him. And there were eyes in the darkness. For a moment, Hex was certain he was surrounded by Heartless. He took an involuntary step backwards, tried to get a grip on the situation. As he stepped back, he bumped into something. Whirling around, he saw that Aurelie was there with him. She didn't speak, only followed his gaze as he looked over the shadows again and again.  
He couldn't attack, he couldn't place the enemy. He couldn't even be sure there was an enemy. The eyes didn't move, they didn't even blink. They just glittered in the darkness in a dozen different colors: red and yellow and green and others.  
Suddenly, all the eyes flared with elemental energies. Fire and water flashed like light in the darkness. The eyes looked up, and Hex followed their gaze. Above him was nothing but darkness, a darkness somehow deeper then that of the darkness around him. And piercing that darkness was a single pair of blood red eyes.  
A chorus of roars shook Hex to the core. He reached behind him, and Aurelie's hand closed over his. The roars were angry, indignant, but Hex could tell they were not directed at him. The roars were rage focused on that pair of eyes above him. They carried for what seemed forever, until Hex felt certain that the roars would overcome him and destroy him, and then they were suddenly drowned out and finally silenced by a roar from the eyes above. The roar was one of power, of dark power, and seemed to inflict the worst kind of fear and despair directly on Hex's heart.  
Hex could feel Aurelie's hand tremble in his. The shaking brought him back to his senses, and he stepped away from Aurelie to confront whatever darkness was spread above him. The roar died as he did so, but he knew that this only meant something worse was coming.  
In a way his eyes couldn't sense, the darkness above seemed to move down on him, taking the shape of a frightening dragon. Hex's mind took only a minute to realize that the dragon above him was the Prismatic Dragon.  
Before he could react, the Prismatic Dragon had descended, bringing illumination with it. Hex had time to see he was in a chamber riddled with alcoves, and in each alcove was another dragon. All of them were immobilized, some with fear, some with rage. But whatever the reason, none of them moved. The Prismatic Dragon rushed toward Hex, and he was too found himself unable to do anything. The Dragon rushed over his head, and it wasn't until he heard Aurelie's scream that he realized that he wasn't the target. She was. But why?  
Hex didn't have time to consider the reason. As the Dragon rose back toward the top of the chamber, Aurelie screaming and twisting in its claws, it released a blast of darkness, and Hex was overcome. He could feel despair take him completely, and he could feel his heart slip rapidly away... -----------------  
Hex managed to hold in the scream of terror as he shot awake in bed. He was sleeping in his hotel room in Traverse Town, he hadn't been wherever he thought he had been. He wasn't sure what to make of the dream. He hadn't encountered any Heartless, save the Prismatic Dragon, but he wasn't even sure the Dragon was a Heartless. And he hadn't heard the voice, either. Maybe it had just been a dream...  
Hex looked out the window and saw the first light of dawn creeping over the rooftops of the tranquil village. He decided that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, and left his hotel room to return to Leon's place, and meet up with Aurelie and Locke. -----------------  
Aurelie gasped, clutching madly at the blankets of her bed. She was sweating, her body shivering in fear. That dragon, what had it been? It was huge, and so frightening. And she could still feel its power, even now that the vision had ended.  
After a moment, Aurelie pushed the thoughts about the dragon out of her mind. Something else about the vision struck her now. Hex had been there with her, in that chamber full of dragons. She had always been alone in her visions, before, unless she wasn't in it, at all. But the vision of Hex's battle in the Lifebeat had been one of only a handful Aurelie had not taken an active role in. This was the first vision she had ever had that she was in, in which she had been unable to act.  
The viera slipped out of bed and dressed quickly and quietly, trying her best not to wake Yuffie or Aerith. Dawn was here. Cid would be awake. She decided to see him about the vision of the dragon. Maybe it was a sign about where they should start in this quest to restore the Elemental Hearts... -----------------  
Locke started awake, the steady dripping of water on his face waking him from his dream. He frowned, and but did not move. He kept his head were it rested on Celes stomach, and took what solace he could in the steady rhythm of her breathing. He had been dreaming about her, about being with her, and he was loath to let that feeling of happiness go.  
After a few moments, he got up. He left the cave that was the Refuge as Traverse Town was just beginning to wake up, itself. As he passed the hotel on his way back to Leon's place, he looked up at the balconies. Hex was in one of those rooms. Hex...  
Locke didn't know what to make of this strange, lost vagabond. On one hand, he genuinely liked Hex, and felt certain that any journey with Hex would be filled with adventure. And Hex was good people, Locke could tell. But, on the other hand...Hex kept making these crazy promises, promises about helping Locke with a problem Hex didn't even fully understand. So the others had told Hex about Celes, and the fall of their world to the Heartless; so what? Hex hadn't been there, he couldn't understand. And even if he was aligned with some great power from beyond, he wasn't being too clear about that power's nature or purpose. Maybe Hex didn't know the true nature of that power, himself. But then, why would he so willingly make promises of aiding Locke? If Hex didn't believe the power was right, and their separate destinies were actually one and the same, why would Hex make these promises?  
And he had done it again last night, before Locke had returned to the Refuge. He had looked Locke dead in the eye and sworn to help bring Celes back, like Hex cared about her fate as much as Leon or Aerith or Aurelie did.  
It wasn't Hex's habit of making this promise that disturbed Locke, or even the vagabond's strange background and origins. It wasn't the way Hex had suddenly appeared in their lives and become the center of their quest in the space of a day, either. What frightened Locke the most was that Hex had told him they could bring Celes back, that they could beat the Heartless, and all they had to do was believe.  
What frightened Locke was that he wanted to believe. -------------  
When Locke arrived, Hex and Aurelie were already preparing to go. There was a lot of noise and ruckus in the house, Locke couldn't be sure exactly why. Apparently, Hex and Aurelie had actually shared a vision, but Locke found he couldn't bring himself to be surprised by this. Maybe he really was beginning to believe.  
"It sounds to me like the place you saw was DragonHome," Cid said as the three companions left for the first leg of their journey. "It's the Kingdom home of a powerful clan of dragons, and a handful of moogles who serve them. You'll likely bump into a summoner or two, as well. But the dragons can be distrustful of outsiders. Don't let your guard down."  
Cid hooked them up with a handful of extra Gummi Blocks, as well. The ship was definitely more likely to survive a Heartless onslaught, now, and handled better. It was a quick flight from Traverse Town to DragonHome, and Locke let Hex take a shot at flying the Gummi Ship. He did well for a beginner, dodging between Gummi formations at speeds that were making Aurelie, at least, visibly nervous.  
When they finally touched down on DragonHome, it seemed to be deserted. Locke could sense the power, he was sure they each could. He was excited, infected with an energy that always seemed to surge through him when the prospect of new treasure lay ahead. Hex and Aurelie did not seem to share his enthusiasm, so he took point as they entered the cavern passages of DragonHome.  
None of them noticed the two people watching from a ledge above. ---------------  
"Damon, did you see that?" Crystal asked excitedly.  
"I saw it, yeah," Damon answered gruffly.  
Crystal ignored his answer and his tone. "That one had an EssenceHand, and he looked like Hex."  
"It was Hex."  
"What? How can you tell? I can barely see from up here."  
"The Heartless told me he would come," Damon said. He got up, and began walking towards the entrance to the mountain.  
"What?" Crystal said after him. She used her Keyblade to help herself up off her knees, and hurried after him. As they stepped into the cave, lit by magical torches along the walls, she said, "The Heartless knew Hex'd be here? Did they send us here to bring him home with us?"  
Damon looked a Crystal for a long time before he answered. He hated this, he hated lying to her. But his power wasn't enough to fulfill their desires, he needed hers, as well. He had to lie to her, about the Heartless sending them home when their task was done. But he couldn't tell her the truth about Hex, either.  
Or could he? This could be his chance to get what he truly wanted, without playing toady to the Heartless to do it. "No," he said finally. "Hex won't join us, the Heartless didn't send us here to get him. He works against us, Crystal, and he'll give up his chance to return home to stop us. But he'll give up our chance, too. We have to stop him."  
He could see the pain in Crystal's eyes as he spoke the lies, he could see it form into tears. He hated this, he really did. But he had no choice. When Crystal brushed past him, walking further into DragonHome, ha cast a glance back at the daylight. He clenched his fist, reveled in the power, the essence hidden within.  
He would destroy Hex, give the Kingdoms to Chaos, and Crystal's heart would finally belong to him... 


End file.
